Martin Luther King, Jr. - Arrests

Martin Luther King, Jr., made history, but he was also transformed by his deep family roots in the African-American Baptist church, his formative experiences in his hometown of Atlanta, his theological studies, his varied models of religious and political leadership, and his extensive network of contacts in the peace and social justice movements of his time. Although King was only 39 at the time of his death, his life was remarkable for the ways it reflected and inspired so many of the twentieth century’s major intellectual, cultural, and political developments.

King delivers “Eight Days Behind Bars” at Ebenezer. 

Facing Alabama perjury charges, King surrenders to state authorities in Montgomery and is released on $4,000 bail. 

King’s appeal of his conviction is submitted to the Alabama Court of Appeals.

King is convicted of disobeying a police order and fined $14. King chooses to spend fourteen days in jail, but is soon released when Police Commissioner Clyde Sellers pays his fine.

While attempting to attend the arraignment of a man accused of assaulting Abernathy, King is arrested outside Montgomery’s Recorder’s Court and charged with loitering. He is released a short time later on $100 bond.

Following a call to Atlanta judge J. Oscar Mitchell by Robert F. Kennedy, brother and campaign manager to John F. Kennedy, King is freed on $2,000 bond. King flies back to Atlanta and addresses a mass rally at Ebenezer.